The Fifth Devil Golem
by Kelpurple90
Summary: After defeating Infinity, they thought it was safe. They thought wrong. What are the new threats? Who is this new boy that they find, covered in blood? Some strong language, violence and blood. Also - OCXAtsuma and OCXToya but there won't be any sexual references, apart from maybe kissing, hugging and being close to each other.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer – I don't own Enchanted Arms (Although it would be cool if I did - and I'd make a sequel). I do, however, own my OCs.

Note – When I use speech marks – "" – it is speech. When I use apostrophes – '' – it is when a character is thinking to themselves.

- Also, this is my first fanfiction (YAY!), so it might be a bit rubbish.

* * *

Enchanted Arms: The Fifth Devil Golem

Prologue

(Just after they defeat Infinity)

"We'd better go now. We need to rebuild Yokohama." Atsuma said. Toya and Makoto nodded.

"We'll help too!" Karin said. Raigar nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's get going then." Yuki said, as they all started making their way back to Yokohama. Toya looked back, confused. He rubbed his eyes, and sighed. 'It must just be because of this adventure.' He thought to himself, as they all exited the room. But, what Toya saw wasn't just his imagination. A girl was laying unconscious, hidden by some rubble. It looked like she was just pieced together, with icy left arm, a futuristic right one, a stone left leg and a fiery right leg. But, in an instant, the limbs changed so they looked like normal limbs, just leaving the girl unconscious. A symbol, which looked like a diamond with a spiral inside of it, appeared on the girl's neck and started pulsating.

* * *

(A few weeks after the end of the rebuilding festival - at the end of the game)

"G-Guys! C-Come have a look!" Atsuma cried, as Toya and Makoto ran to Atsuma's side. There was a boy, around 19, laying unconscious in front of them. He was laying in an alleyway, hardly noticable. His hair was messed up, and blood was smeared all over his face and neck, and some on his right hand which looked like it carried on up his arm. There was a symbol carved into the boy's arm, visible as that arm's sleeve was torn apart. The symbol was a circle with a slash through it. Most of his clothes were torn or ripped off, showing blood splashed all over his body, and cuts and scars.

"Who is he? I don't recognise him!" Makoto said, as if he knew all the boys. Though, he was only really interested in Toya, so he didn't pay much attention to anyone else. Toya knelt beside the boy, feeling for a pulse. He quickly withdrew his hand, holding it.

"He's...so cold." He said quietly. Atsuma watched Toya, shocked. 'C-Cold?' He thought to himself, watching the boy.

"I-Is he...alive?" Makoto asked, watching Toya and the boy. Toya looked away, shaking his head.

"He couldn't be. Not while he's this cold." He replied, looking at his hand, which had frozen a little. Makoto watched in shock, as Atsuma looked away. '...I wish I knew him. He...He feels so familiar.' Atsuma thought to himself. Makoto started walking away, dragging Atsuma with him, when Toya stopped them.

"Wait! He's breathing!" Toya cried, watching the boy. They all watched curiously, wondering how he could have survived through freezing temperatures with the wounds on his head and body.

"Let's hurry! We need to get him seen to!" Atsuma cried, as he and Makoto carried the boy to the University. Toya stopped, seeing something on the floor. He walked back, seeing a notebook. 'A notebook? I'd better have a look at this...' He thought, putting it in his bag and running after Atsuma and Makoto.


	2. Chapter 1

-Sorry about the prologue being so short and being mostly dialogue. Hopefully the chapters will be longer and have more description (making them longer) :D

Disclaimer - I don't own Enchanted Arms, but I do own my OCs.

Note - "" (speech marks) is talking, '' (apostrophes) mean thinking.

* * *

Chapter 1

(Two years after Atsuma, Toya and Makoto found the boy and everything has returned to normal)

Atsuma was busy sleeping during class, as usual. Toya watched Atsuma, sighing. Makoto looked over at the boy.

"Hey Shadow. Have you settled in yet?" He asked. Shadow rolled his eyes, glancing at Atsuma before looking back at Makoto.

"Give it a rest, Makoto. You ask me this nearly every week." He replied, looking back at Atsuma. He hoped that their teacher wouldn't notice, again, that Atsuma was sleeping. Shadow really didn't like it that Atsuma was told off almost EVERY lesson because of his sleeping habits.

"Atsuma!" It seemed Shadow's hoping didn't work. Atsuma woke with a start.

"W-What...?" He asked. He noticed the teacher, and the rest of the students, staring at him. If looks could kill, Atsuma would be dead over a thousand times by now. Shadow sighed, glancing at Toya and Makoto. Toya shook his head, as Makoto rolled his eyes. 'Please let him off.' Shadow thought, watching Atsuma and the teacher.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your daily nap, Atsuma, as always." The teacher said sternly. "But, even though you saved the world, you still have to study!" He shouted, making Shadow jump. Atsuma just watched in silence, as the teacher walked back to the front of the room, resuming the lesson.

"THAT was close." Atsuma sighed, looking at Shadow. Shadow nodded in agreement.

"At least he didn't give you a detention or anything." He replied. He looked down at his book, which he had drawn a symbol on. It looked familiar to him, but he couldn't remember why, apart from that he had made it up. Shadow looked at his arm, where there was a faint scar from the carved symbol. '...I remember that symbol being in my arm...but, why?' He thought to himself.

"Shadow? Hey, Shadow!" Makoto shouted. Shadow shook his head, looking at Makoto.

"What's wrong?" He asked, wondering why Makoto was shouting at him.

"Sorry. Atsuma was getting worried, but he didn't want to do anything. But, you seemed spaced out there." Makoto pointed out.

"You were worried too, Makoto. You just won't admit it." Atsuma replied. Shadow watched both of them arguing, glancing at Toya. Toya just sighed, watching them.

"S-Sorry guys, I've just been thinking lately..." Shadow sighed.

"Did it hurt?" Makoto mocked who then dodged a punch from Atsuma and kneed him in the stomach. "Sorry, it's my reflexes." He replied, shrugging. Atsuma groaned, now on the floor.

"M-Makoto, don't do that!" Shadow cried, kneeling beside Atsuma. "Hey, are you ok Atsuma?" He asked quietly. Atsuma nodded. Shadow sighed with relief, looking at Makoto, who was laughing.

"...Toya. What did the symbol look like on my arm?" Shadow asked. Toya blinked.

"If I recall correctly, it looked like a circle with a line, like a slash, through it. It was in blood, so I assumed it was your blood." He replied. "Why do you ask now?" He asked.

"Just wondering, as that is what I have been thinking about. Was I just lying in the alleyway, with nothing else?" Shadow asked. Toya nodded.

"Well, there was this." He took out a notebook. Shadow's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you give this notebook to me sooner?" He cried, grabbing the notebook from Toya's hands. Toya looked at his hand.

"...I wasn't sure. I wanted to study it first..." He replied. Shadow growled, holding the notebook close.

"Hey, calm down. I'm sure Toya didn't mean to keep it this long..." Atsuma said calmly, standing up again. He watched Shadow, wondering why he was so protective of his notebook. 'I guess it's because he can't remember anything before then...' He thought to himself.

"But why didn't he tell me?" Shadow cried. "Why didn't you say ANYTHING to me?" He asked. Atsuma tried to calm Shadow down, but he couldn't take it. The sky started turning dark and cold, making Atsuma stop at look up.

"Why is it turning cold? It's no where near night yet." Atsuma murmured, and then glanced back at Shadow. He was shocked, realising Shadow must be doing this. Shadow growled, as his eyes were now fully black.

"T-Toya, what's going on?" Atsuma cried, looking at Toya. Toya was just as shocked, glancing at Atsuma.

"...I don't know, Atsuma." He replied. Atsuma was shocked, looking back at Shadow.

"..." Shadow growled, darkness surrounding him. He then stopped, hearing a voice. 'Please, stop Shadow!' The voice cried inside Shadow's head, as his eyes grew wide. 'T-That voice...' He thought, the darkness disappearing. 'I-It sounds so familiar...' He fell to his knees, tears falling down his cheeks. Atsuma watched, kneeling beside him.

"Are you ok, Shadow?" He asked quietly. Shadow shook his head, resting his head on Atsuma's shoulder. He just kept crying, unable to stop the tears. He looked down at the notebook, opening it slowly. There was a picture of a young girl.

"...I remember you, sister." Shadow whispered, as tears dropped onto the pages. "I-I remember your voice, your laugh, your personality...your love for everyone and everything. But...I-I'll never see you again, or hear your voice, or feel your love...because you're dead." He said quietly, leaning against Atsuma as he started crying again.

* * *

A week had passed since Shadow recovered his notebook, but things had got worse. Shadow had got quieter and quieter, until he stopped talking all together. He would only look at the cover of the notebook and the picture of his sister inside it. Atsuma, Toya and Makoto watched him, worried. Atsuma would usually shout at Toya, saying it was his fault for keeping it from him. Toya wouldn't protest, but Makoto would defend him. This left the group split. Shadow and Atsuma, against Toya and Makoto. Shadow and Toya were usually silent, and could never look at each other, while Atsuma and Makoto would shout and fight against each other. But then, on the 10th day after Shadow got his notebook, something changed.

Atsuma and Makoto were arguing, as always, and Shadow and Toya were watching, standing near the door. Shadow then looked over at Toya, walking over to him.

"Follow me." He whispered in Toya's ear. He then grabbed Toya's hand, and ran out of the room. Toya was confused, but didn't say anything. Shadow took Toya to the Sealed Ward, which was now used as a training place for the students, and the university took Professor Kou's research for analysis.

"Why are we here, Shadow?" Toya asked when they stopped. Shadow took out his notebook, and turned it to the back page.

"What does it say?" He asked. The writing was ancient, and not in the letters that they used today. Toya looked at it, curious.

"...I don't know. It's in a language that even I don't know." He replied. Shadow sighed.

"I think I can understand it. But...I have no idea why." He explained, looking at the writing. Toya looked at Shadow, curious. 'Maybe he has blood of the ancients as well?' He thought to himself. 'But, if it was just that, I should be able to recognise it...a little.' He looked at the writing, thinking. 'So...how much blood does he have? Blood that is even more ancient than the blood in me?' Toya looked back at Shadow.

"So, you don't know?" Shadow asked, sighing. "Well, that's a shame." He put the book back in his bag.

"I could check it out at the library, if you'd like." Toya offered, but Shadow wasn't listening anymore. He could hear something, like singing. It was faint, but sounded like it was calling Shadow. One of his eyes became dull, as he looked at the door to the Sealed Ward.

"...Can you hear that?" Shadow mumbled. Toya was confused, watching Shadow.

"Are you ok?" He asked, holding Shadow by his shoulders, shaking him lightly. Shadow didn't reply. 'I can hear it...but...where is it coming from? In there?' He thought, walking towards the Sealed Ward.

"Oh no. I can see where this is going." Toya muttered. 'But...the Queen of Ice isn't in there. So, I guess there's nothing to worry about.' He thought to himself, following after Shadow.

* * *

-Hopefully that was better than my prologue XD I wouldn't mind having some reviews or anything really, but don't feel you have to :D


	3. Chapter 2

-I'm glad people are reading my Fanfiction :D So, enjoy.

Disclaimer - I don't own Enchanted Arms, but I do own my OCs.

Note - "" (speech marks) is talking, '' (apostrophes) mean thinking.

* * *

Chapter 2

"Hey Makoto, where have Shadow and Toya disappeared off to?" Atsuma asked, looking around. He was bleeding, and so was Makoto, as they had been fighting. He rubbed his head, as a bump started to form. 'That's great, just great.' He thought to himself. Makoto looked around, confused.

"No. But...what if they've run away together?" Makoto asked, narrowing his eyes. "No one is having Toya but me." He clenched his bleeding hand weakly into a fist. Atsuma face palmed. 'Now Makoto's all worked up, even more so than before.' He thought to himself. He then groaned, looking at his right arm.

"W-What's going on?!" Atsuma asked, clenching his hand around his arm. 'D-Doesn't this only go like this if there's a Devil Golem around?' He thought to himself. 'Wait...does that mean that there IS a Devil Golem around?' He looked around. Everything seemed fine. Nobody was turning cold, or collapsing.

"Why is your arm glowing now, Atsuma?!" Makoto asked. Atsuma looked at Makoto, shaking his head. Makoto's eyes widened. "Y-You mean..." He started. Atsuma looked away.

"We should go to the Sealed Ward. That's where the Queen of Ice was. Maybe, somehow, she survived. Maybe it's a new one all together." He explained, and started running to the Sealed Ward. Makoto sighed, running after his silver haired friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, Toya was still following Shadow. He looked around, and realised he hadn't been in this part of the Sealed Ward. 'I suppose not. The floor collapsed half way through last time, I think.' Toya thought to himself. 'But...how could Shadow be leading? He's NEVER been here before. Not even in training. He didn't want to go in because of the Queen of Ice being here before.' He watched Shadow. 'He IS in a trance-like state, though. So, maybe that's why he couldn't come down here?' Toya asked himself. He looked around, seeing that this part looked more futuristic than the other parts he has been to. The walls and floor was silver, probably made from steel or something, but there were things that looked like veins that travelled up the walls and across the floor. They were more scattered than they were in the other part, and none of them were in sync, all pulsating and glowing at different times.

"Shadow, don't you think..." Toya stopped, seeing Shadow's eyes. They were totally black, with red pupils and they were bloodshot. "S-Shadow...?" Toya asked, watching Shadow.

"..." Shadow glanced at Toya, not saying anything. He turned back to look where they walking, almost ignoring Toya completely. "...The four becomes one to destroy all." He murmured. Toya watched, confused for once. 'The four becomes one to destroy all? What does he mean?' He thought to himself.

"What do you mean Shadow?" Toya asked. Shadow didn't reply, as they walked down some stairs. They then stopped on a platform that descended two floors before stopping.

"The Ice, Fire, Earth and Eternal shall join to become the Darkness." Shadow looked at Toya. "The Darkness needs one Magicore, one that has been either of the Ice, Fire, Earth or Eternal. You are in this requirement." He said. Toya's eyes widened. 'So, the Ice, Fire, Earth and Eternal must be the Queen of Ice, the Emperor of Fire, the Lord of Earth and Infinity...' He watched Shadow. 'Is this why he is taking me? Because I was the Magicore for the Queen of Ice, is that the reason?' He thought.

"Though, the Darkness needs more than one. A second Magicore is required. But, one that was born of something ancient, even older than your blood." Shadow continued, one of his eyes lighter than the other. "I am of that kind. I was born of a more ancient blood than you." He explained. "The Darkness needs both of us to revive completely, to rewrite the world. But...it will not fail. Not where the Eternal failed. It will rise, changing everything back to those ancient times." He watched Toya, not blinking. Shadow's arm was glowing faintly, and the circle with the slash through it was visible again.

"This isn't right Shadow! Just stop it, the world has evolved and moved on!" Toya protested. "You're being controlled, by this Darkness! Who is the Darkness?" He asked, watching his friend. Shadow glanced at Toya, and then moved his sleeve to show the symbol.

"...The Darkness is the ruler of all things." He murmured. "Soon, everyone will know that. Even you..." He said, looking away again. Toya watched Shadow, and looked at the symbol.

"That symbol..." Toya started, remembering when they found Shadow. He had seen it on Shadow's arm that time. "I remember now! It was on your arm, well engraved, well, carved into your arm!" He exclaimed. Shadow then grabbed Toya's arm, his hand surrounded by a dark aura.

"Be...quiet. We're almost with the darkness." He whispered. Toya tried speaking, but no words came out. 'H-How is he doing this?' He thought to himself. Shadow started dragging Toya down a dark corridor, soon reaching a dark room. Toya then had a sudden thought. 'But, how will it work?! They were all destroyed, weren't they? The Queen of Ice, Emperor of Fire, the Lord of Earth and Infinity...didn't Atsuma destroy all of them?' He thought to himself, and then stopped. Shadow made Toya kneel on the ground, breaking Toya out of his thoughts. He then knelt beside him, watching something in the middle of the room. Toya tried to work out what it was. There was a figure, that couldn't exactly be seen, inside a dark purple fog. The fog surrounded the figure completely; making sure it was enveloped in the dark purple mist. Toya looked at Shadow, then back at the mist. 'So...that must be the Darkness that Shadow was talking about.' He thought. 'But...why is the figure in the purple mist?' He asked himself.

* * *

"Wait up Atsuma!" Makoto whined. Atsuma sighed, glancing back at Makoto.

"I thought you were used to it by now? Remember when you were the 'Mystery Man'?" Atsuma asked, rolling his eyes. "Look, I want to hurry. This is bad if my arm is acting up, since that means there must be a Devil Golem." He explained.

"But there are no Devil Golems left! You destroyed them all, even Infinity!" Makoto replied, now running beside Atsuma. "There's no need for your arm to be glowing or anything." He said.

"So, why is it glowing if they're all gone?" Atsuma asked. "I think there MUST be a new one, or something that is as strong as a Devil Golem." He looked at Makoto. "Do you think that's why Shadow and Toya have disappeared? What if Toya's become a Magicore again..." He murmured. 'But...Shadow? I didn't realise. Does he have blood of the ancients?' He thought.

"No! Not my precious Toya!" Makoto cried. "We need to hurry Atsuma. Toya could be in danger!" He said, grabbing Atsuma's wrist as he started running to the Sealed Ward. They soon got there, and Makoto kept dragging Atsuma.

"Get off Makoto. I'm not a child, I can walk by myself." Atsuma pulled his hand away, walking into the Sealed Ward. "I wonder...did they go down a different path to where we went before?" He asked.

"Well obviously! They've probably gone this way." Makoto explained, walking down the hallway. Atsuma shrugged, walking after Makoto. 'Toya...Shadow...I hope you two are ok. We're coming for you. So just...hold on!' He thought, clenching his hand into a fist as he followed Makoto.

* * *

-Cliffhanger? Yeah, they're cool. I suppose some people could guess what the figure will be in the mist... (that could have made it obvious XD)


	4. Chapter 3

Finally updating again. Sorry it's taken so long for Chapter 3 to come out. Just been busy with life, really - and I lost interest for a while so I took a break.

Disclaimer - I don't own Enchanted Arms, but I do own my OCs.

Note - "" (speech marks) is talking, '' (apostrophes) mean thinking.

* * *

Chapter 3

"...Are we there yet?" Atsuma asked, watching Makoto. Makoto just rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Atsuma shrugged, and then winced as his arm started pulsating and glowing again. "D-Damn it..." He growled.

"I wonder what's up with your arm, Atsuma. Do you think we're getting closer?" Makoto asked. He then had a thought. "If there's a Devil Golem, we shouldn't take you down there! You could activate it, and remember what happened last time!" He cried. Atsuma's eyes widened. He remembered what had happened, and NEVER wanted that to happen again.

"Y-Yeah...but what about Shadow and Toya?" He asked. "I mean...if we go back out, they could be in more trouble than me actually going." He pointed out.

"Oh no Atsuma, not this time! You're going back, now!" Makoto replied, watching Atsuma. "Now, back you go!" He said. Atsuma sighed, as he started walking back to the entrance. He glanced back at Makoto, who had already disappeared. He stopped, and turned. 'I need to help Toya and Shadow.' Atsuma thought. 'Even if there is a Devil Golem...it won't be like last time!' He nodded, before he walked further into Sealed Ward.

* * *

"Wait...that figure..." Toya murmured. "It's...it's a girl?" He asked. The mist had faded, leaving a girl behind. The girl was standing where the middle of the mist had been, holding her right arm. It looked like she was wounded, as she slowly walked towards Toya and Shadow.

"...This...is the Darkness." Shadow murmured. He then suddenly winced, holding his head. Toya watched Shadow, his eyes wide.

"Shadow, are you ok?" He asked. Shadow looked at Toya, before he looked around at where they were.

"W-What the hell...? W-Where...are we?" Shadow asked, sounding a little nervous. The girl smirked, standing in front of Shadow and Toya. She giggled a little, watching them.

"Oh..." She murmured. "...Dark...ness..." The girl tilted her head. "Dark...ness..." She watched Toya and Shadow.

"I don't think she can talk properly. Maybe...because she's just come from the mist?" Toya murmured. "Hey...can you tell us who you are?" He asked, watching the girl. The girl looked at Toya.

"..." She didn't say anything, just slowly moved towards him. She gently put her hand on Toya's neck, making him wince. Toya looked at the girl's eyes, and saw them glowing a little. 'W-What is she doing...?' He thought, as he suddenly saw memories. His memories. The main memories were when he was with the Queen of Ice. 'Two years ago...' Toya thought. 'Two years...it feels like two minutes, at times, then two centuries, at others.' He watched the girl. She was just seeing the memories. She then let go of Toya, watching him.

"...You...you are the one..." The girl murmured. "I need...you." She knelt in front of Toya.

"Toya...what does she mean?" Shadow asked, suddenly clenching his head. He growled, his eyes turning dark. "...T-The Darkness...needs a Magicore..." He whispered, his voice merged with another's and distorted.

"Shadow, hold on!" Toya shouted, watching Shadow. He looked at the girl. "Who are you...?" He asked. "Tell me...who you are!" Toya said urgently. The girl watched Toya. She tilted her head, looking confused. Toya sighed, shaking his head, before he looked back at Shadow. 'I need to get out...with Shadow.' He thought. He then smiled a little, thinking of Atsuma and Makoto. 'I wonder what they're doing...' Toya thought, before he grabbed Shadow and ran for the exit.

* * *

Makoto kept walking down the hallway. "This is so creepy...I wish my dear Toya was here to help me..." He said quietly, looking around. 'And after all of that Mystery Man stuff...I still find things creepy.' He thought. In the two years, he had become a TINY bit more masculine, but he couldn't deny his feminine side. Makoto noticed black vein like lights on the path and ceiling. 'That's... odd. I mean, they were never like that before...' He thought, and started walking faster. The corridor seemed to get darker as he continued on. "This is getting so dark...soon I won't be able to see." Makoto murmured. He then stopped, hearing something. "...?" He looked around, and then heard the noise again. A cry, but it wasn't exactly from a human. Following the cry, there was banging on the metal. Makoto jumped, feeling nervous. 'What is that...?' He thought. 'I need to hurry...' He started running down the hallway, hearing the banging and cries getting louder.

"Hello?" Makoto called out, half hoping there wouldn't be a reply. Instead, the banging and cries stopped, leaving Makoto in silence. The only sound was from the lights. "Are you...ok?" Makoto asked, looking around. He noticed his hands shaking, holding them to try stop them shaking. He jumped when he heard moaning. 'O-Oh my...!' Makoto thought. 'S-Should I...? ...' He was wondering whether to help or not, when he heard the moaning again. 'Alright, I'll help.' He thought, looking around.

"Where...where are you?" Makoto asked. He waited for an answer, and was surprised when he got one.

"...To...your left." The voice replied weakly. Makoto nodded, looking left, where he noticed one section of the wall was different to the others. He opened it, seeing a man curled up in a small space.

"W-What happened to you?" Makoto asked. The man groaned, slowly dragging himself out. He shook his head, not replying. Makoto helped the man out of the small space, looking at him properly. The man had crystal blue eyes, with dark hair that was hanging over the rest of his face. His hair was a little dyed with blood, as well as blood being smeared under his eyes. He was wearing a dark blue leather jacket, with dark red shoulder pads, that was damaged by what looked like some kind of animal. Makoto was shocked, watching this man who looked like he had been brutally attacked.

"What happened to you?" Makoto repeated his question when the man had recovered a little. He was curious for a few reasons. One – How did he even get in and down here? Two – What happened to him? Three – Why was he here? The man looked at Makoto, a small smile appearing on his face. A trickle of blood dripped down from the side of his mouth.

"Nothing...well, it depends. How much do you want to know?" The man asked. "All of the details...or just a summary?" He whispered. Makoto blinked, wondering what this guy was up to.

"Well, obviously I want to know every-!" Makoto stopped when he saw something change in the man. There was something that he hadn't seen before in his eyes. This made Makoto change his mind. "I think a summary will just be fine for now. I need to find someone anyway." He explained. He noticed the man's smile grew a little when he heard Makoto change his mind. 'What is with this guy?' Makoto thought, a shiver running down his spine. 'I need to hurry anyway...I need to find Toya! ...And Shadow, of course.' He thought as he waited.

* * *

Toya kept running, firing attacks at golems that got in their way. Shadow was now unconscious, making groaning noises as Toya carried him. "D-Darkness...is rising..." He moaned. 'Darkness is rising? That doesn't sound good.' Toya thought, glancing at Shadow. He then slid to a halt, a giant golem blocking the way.

"Shit. Now I've got to take care of this asshole." Toya muttered, laying Shadow against a wall. "You'd better be ready. I'm not going easy on you." He twirled his spear, watching the golem. He gasped when he saw the girl walk out from behind the giant golem, standing beside it. The girl smirked, looking at Toya.

"You can't...escape." She murmured. "Join...or die." Her eyes were glowing purple. Toya was about to say something when he heard a cry. He turned to Shadow, seeing the symbol on his arm pulsating and glowing bright.

"Shadow!" Toya cried, turning to run towards him. When he tried to move, he couldn't. 'W-What the...?' He thought, watching Shadow cry out in pain. 'Damn! I need to help him!' He thought to himself. The girl appeared beside Toya, gently stroking his fingers. She smiled, gently taking his weapon from him. 'S-She's got me exactly how she wants me...' Toya thought, glancing over to look at the girl.

"Toya...that is your name." The girl whispered. "But...you have an inner name. One you did not realise you had." She explained. "Knowing this name gives you power..." She then smirked. "Though, if someone else knows it...they have power over you." The girl walked in front of Toya. "Consider my offer. Or both of you will suffer." She moved slightly so Toya could see Shadow. There was a small pool of blood by Shadow, as he sat there, helpless. 'I need to help him! But...how?!' Toya thought. 'The only way...' He glanced down. 'Is...to...'

"Toya!" Toya snapped out of his thoughts, hearing his name being shouted. He had been watching Shadow, and it wasn't from him. 'Wait...' He thought. The girl stopped, looking around. She then flew back into a wall, wincing. In front of Toya stood Atsuma, who had punched the girl away from him.

"I'm here, Toya. Shadow." Atsuma looked at Toya, who was able to move again. "We're getting out of here, now." He explained, rushing over to Shadow. "Hey? You ok, Shadow?! Snap out of it!" He shook him a little.

"No good Atsuma. We need to carry him." Toya explained. Atsuma nodded as he picked up Shadow. "Let's go." Atsuma started running out. Toya nodded and was about to follow when he heard the girl.

"Beware, Toya! I know many inner names and the inner darkness within everyone." The girl shouted. Toya looked at the girl, glaring a little.

"No inner name will stop us." He replied, before he rushed out after Atsuma. The girl smirked, shaking her head. 'He does not understand. At least, not yet. But...that boy. I saw just from that one connection. He was the one who stopped Infinity two years ago...' She slowly stood up, holding her arm. 'I will not be stopped. Not by that boy.'


	5. Chapter 4

So, I say I'll be more frequent with updates then it takes forever to upload. I also haven't had internet, if that counts for anything XD I concentrate more on writing then, so it's a plus for that, but then I can't upload it as fast.

Disclaimer - I don't own Enchanted Arms, but I do own my OCs.

Note - "" (speech marks) is talking, '' (apostrophes) mean thinking.

* * *

Chapter 4

"The summary it is, then." The man sat up, leaning back against the wall. He watched Makoto, noticing how impatient he was. He smirked a little, letting it drag out for a little longer. "...I got lost." He explained. Makoto blinked, confused.

"...That's it? You got lost?" He asked. The man nodded, laughing. Makoto sighed. 'What is with this guy? Making it sound all mysterious.' He thought to himself. "Well, now that you've explained, I need to get going." Makoto stood up, brushing down his clothes. The man stood up weakly, nodding.

"Ok. I'll come with you." He smiled. Makoto watched, really hoping he had heard the man wrong. But, he did not. When Makoto started walking, the man would follow. 'Great. Now I've got this guy following me.' He thought. 'Oh Toya...if only you were here.' He sighed.

After a few minutes, the man heard something. "Did you hear that?" He asked quietly. Makoto nodded. He HAD heard something. "It sounded like...someone shouting, or something." The man murmured. "Let's go" He started running down the hallway, towards where the shouting was coming from. Makoto rolled his eyes, running after the man. He wondered where this sudden energy had come from within this person. 'Just a few minutes ago he was trapped in the wall...now it's like he had fully recovered!' He thought, watching the man run ahead. The man stopped, which made Makoto stop beside him. Makoto saw something running out of the corner of his eye, looking in that direction.

"It's Toya!" He shouted, but Toya couldn't hear him as he was running after Atsuma and Shadow. Makoto was about to follow him when the giant golem blocked his path. The girl turned to face Makoto and the man.

"Heh...so what do we have here?" She asked. The man clenched his hand into a fist, glaring at the girl. The girl noticed the man, smirking. "So you've returned. I thought I sent you running with that last punishment I gave you." She snickered. Makoto watched in shock. 'He knows this girl?!' He thought. He noticed the giant golem was distracted, so he started slipping around it to get to Toya and the others.

"You call that punishment?" The man watched the girl, smirking a little. "It made you just turn into mist, so you had to recharge for two weeks. Or was it two months? Maybe it was even... two years?" He asked. The girl laughed, sending a ball of darkness towards the man. The man dodged it, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I still remember your name, Leo. That includes your inner name." The girl explained. "Now I know even more. But...I'm still not finished with you." She walked towards Leo, watching him closely. Leo growled, jumping back.

"Back off. No way are you getting to me again" He shouted. The girl stopped walking, gently running her hand down Toya's weapon. She shook her head, smiling. Leo blinked, confused. 'How did she get a weapon? Whose is that anyway?' He thought. 'Maybe she was right after all. Maybe she does know more... This is bad.' He watched the girl, looking at the giant golem. "I know your true name too, you know. You told it to me yourself." Leo pointed out. The girl stopped smiling, looking confused.

"I...told you? W-What do you mean?" She asked, dropping the weapon. She watched Leo, confused. Leo slowly walked towards her. 'She really doesn't remember... What has happened to her?' He thought to himself. He stood in front of her, watching her. Makoto looked back at the two. He saw Leo was standing in front of the girl. He stood there a while, before he gasped and ran. What he had seen was just...unbearable. 'I HAVE to find Toya and Atsuma now!' Makoto thought as he ran. 'That guy...Leo...' He clenched his hand into a fist as he kept running.

* * *

Atsuma was pacing outside of Shadow's room. He glanced at Toya every now and again, seeing how calm he was. "How can you be so calm?" He asked. Toya smiled a little, and then shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know." He replied. "I just am. I know Shadow will be ok. Remember when we found him? We thought he was dead, but he survived." He pointed out. Atsuma sighed, nodding. He kept pacing, hoping that Shadow would recover. "Hey Atsuma...where's Makoto?" Toya asked, breaking Atsuma out of his thoughts. Atsuma stopped pacing, looking at Toya.

"Last I saw him...he was in the Sealed Ward, trying to find you." He replied slowly. "...Is he...still in there?" He asked, gasping. Toya looked away, feeling concerned. He then shook his head.

"...No, I don't think he is. I think he knows we're not in there." Toya looked at Atsuma. "Let's call it a gut feeling." He explained. Atsuma nodded, as he started pacing again. 'Shadow...you need to get better.' He looked at the door. 'While we were coming back...you became quiet. It felt like you weren't even breathing.' He sighed, leaning against the wall. Atsuma then looked at the door, hearing and seeing it open. Out came Shadow, looking mostly like his old self, apart from looking exhausted and sick. Shadow smiled weakly.

"H-Hey guys..." He whispered. Atsuma quickly caught him before he fell on the floor. He held him close, making sure he was ok. Shadow's eyes were slowly closing, but Atsuma shook his gently to keep him awake.

"Why are you out, Shadow?! You're not well enough!" Toya walked over, checking Shadow's temperature. He pulled his hand away quickly. "You're...freezing." He murmured quietly. Shadow smiled a little, shaking his head.

"I-I'm fine." He replied. Toya looked inside Shadow's room, seeing the window was broken. He rushed over, seeing the doctor on the floor outside. "...!" He watched Atsuma and Shadow walk out of the room. 'What did Shadow do? He was so ill...and he still is! How did the doctor end up on the ground outside?' He thought to himself. Toya walked out, seeing that Atsuma and Shadow had already disappeared. He glanced back in the room, closing the door before he started walking down the hallway. Toya felt something touch his hand, looking down at it. There was nothing there. 'My inner name... I NEED to find out what it is first.' He thought, feeling the smooth touch of that girl's skin on his hand. 'All of ours. Atsuma, Shadow, Makoto...she might know any or all of theirs.' He clenched his hand into a fist. 'Maybe that's why...'

"Toya!" Makoto's shouting broke Toya out of his thoughts. "Toya, this is serious! I-I saw this girl who was with this giant golem and she just killed this guy called Leo!" He panted. Toya blinked. "It was in the Sealed Ward. It was like the two knew each other." Makoto sighed. Toya's eyes grew wide. 'T-The Sealed Ward...h-he must have seen the girl we saw.' He thought. "I saw you running, so I snuck around and ran after you. I did get lost a bit, but we're finally together again, Toya!" Makoto said happily.

"T-That's great, Makoto." Toya smiled a little. "But...that girl...did she say anything?" He asked. Makoto shrugged.

"There was nothing interesting. Something about an inner name, and Leo said he knew hers to. That's when..." He winced, remembering what had happened. Toya gently put his hand on Makoto's shoulder. He then nodded, walking past him. 'I need to learn what these inner names are.' He thought to himself.

* * *

Atsuma and Shadow were sitting outside, watching the blue sky. Some clouds floated by in the calm sky. "It's great that you're better, Shadow." Atsuma looked at his friend. "I mean, you were almost dead, again!" He laughed a little. Shadow rubbed the back of his head, shrugging.

"I guess. But, I'm fine. I won't die, Atsuma. I promise you that." He smiled, watching Atsuma. Something felt different between them. 'He feels more than just a brother...' He thought to himself. Atsuma was busy looking back at the sky, so he didn't notice Shadow's small blush. "Atsuma...you've looked after me since you three found me. Like a brother." Shadow continued. "I wouldn't just go and die on you now." He smiled. Atsuma laughed, shaking his head.

"I suppose not. I know you'd be ok. I had a feeling..." He murmured, gently putting his hand on Shadow's. Shadow blushed more, glancing away so Atsuma didn't see. He knew what he felt, on the inside. He just...didn't know how to express it. Atsuma stood up. "So, what do you want to do now?" He asked. Shadow looked up at Atsuma.

"Well, we will soon have to get to class..." He glanced away. Atsuma watched Shadow.

"Come on Shadow! Why don't we bunk off? I mean, just this once." He winked. Shadow shook his head, obviously not wanting to. "Great! Let's go for a walk." Atsuma added. Shadow sighed, looking at his hands. 'Not again...Atsuma has bunked off before. Even once with me. But I guess we need to relax with what just happened...' He shrugged.

"Alright, alright, I guess this once won't hurt." Shadow replied as he stood up. "Let's go then - before class starts." He started walking, looking at Atsuma. He noticed the excitement in Atsuma's expression. 'So excited...but why? Just because we're hanging out, he's getting excited?' Shadow shrugged, smiling.

"Let's hang out by the fountain. That's always been your favourite place, right?" Atsuma winked as he rushed ahead. Shadow felt like calling out to stop Atsuma, but he stopped himself. 'No. I'll let him have fun. He deserves it - even if he is just acting like a small child.' He smiled more, running after Atsuma. 'I mean, we haven't had fun in a long time.' He ran after his friend, smiling.

After a while, Atsuma and Shadow sat down on a bench near the fountain. Shadow watched the sky as Atsuma leaned back and relaxed. "See? It's not so bad. It's only going to be some lecture about Golem history or something." Atsuma pointed out. Shadow shrugged.

"It's interesting sometimes. I mean, I find it interesting." He glanced at Atsuma. "Then again, I am a weirdo." He laughed. Atsuma smiled, nodding in agreement.

"You sure are. But, who isn't?" He watched the fountain, looking around. Everything was so peaceful and relaxed. It seemed that two years was all that was needed to fully heal Yokohama. 'I'm glad. Nothing else bad has happened. Well...apart from earlier. But, maybe that was just a one-off thing.' He thought to himself. Shadow looked at Atsuma, watching his gaze. He smiled, knowing what he had done to save this place. 'He's so dedicated. I mean, he went on that long journey to find Toya...and he helped rebuild Yokohama!' He thought. 'He's amazing...Atsuma.' Shadow looked at the sky, thinking. 'Atsuma reminds me of someone...' He blinked, hearing a voice.

"_You're giving up already?_" It asked. Shadow looked around. 'That voice...it sounds...so...' He thought, glancing at Atsuma. 'I don't think he heard it. Maybe that's good. Maybe it's bad.' He closed his eyes, trying to remember whose voice that was. 'It sounded like a male voice... I guess that's a start.' Shadow sighed, looking at the sky again. He could see birds flying over, smiling a little. He always liked birds and how free they were. How they could just fly wherever they wanted to, and that they didn't have to worry about anything. Shadow wanted to know how it felt to fly. Sometimes he dreamt that he could feel the wind in his face as he flew. But, after all, they were just dreams, fantasy. Not actually real. For all he knew, flying could be a lot different. This was how he dreamt it was, though, so that is what flying was like to him. Atsuma watched Shadow for a while. 'He looks like he's thinking about something. I wonder what it is...' He leaned back against the bench. 'Oh well. As long as he's happy, I'm fine with whatever it is.' He smiled. Atsuma looked at Shadow's watch. 'It's not that late yet. I mean, school hasn't even finished.' He thought to himself.

"You know, Atsuma..." Shadow started. "We're going to get a good scolding tomorrow." He glanced at his friend. Atsuma shrugged. Shadow rolled his eyes, knowing that Atsuma was used to being shouted at or moaned at for not paying attention or skipping.

"You won't, since we're together. People will just say 'Oh, you made him come with you' or 'He was forced to skip by Atsuma'. You're such a good student that people won't accuse you." Atsuma replied. "Anyway, it's only one shout. It doesn't really matter when I get many per day." He muttered. Shadow watched Atsuma's expression change, feeling sorry that he had brought it up.

"H-Hey...I didn't mean..." He started, but Atsuma just looked away. Shadow stood up, looking at the ground. "...I'm sorry." He murmured. Atsuma looked up at him, watching a tear fall down his cheek. He sighed, standing up and gently pulling Shadow into a hug.

"It's not your fault." He replied. "It's mine for getting into the trouble in the first place." Atsuma smiled. Shadow laid his head on Atsuma's shoulder, watching him. He nodded a little, keeping close to his best friend. "Now, let's walk around, ok?" Atsuma suggested. Shadow let go of Atsuma, nodding. They then walked off together, talking as they walked. 'Atsuma...who do you remind me of?' Shadow thought to himself. 'That voice...I know it well, but I can't place it...' He shook his head, walking with Atsuma.

* * *

Toya sat in the library, reading various books about Golem history. "Nothing...there's nothing." He muttered. "Who was that girl anyway?" He asked, picturing the girl in his mind. Toya shivered, looking back at the books. He then had a thought. 'Shadow...what are you? You were sick and almost looked dead...the doctor...' He shook his head, sighing. 'No. It couldn't have been Shadow. He wouldn't do that.' Toya then stopped where he was reading. He had got to a part about Devil Golems. He saw the Queen of Ice, Emperor of Fire and Lord of Earth. Toya slowly turned the page, seeing Infinity and then a large black space which was called 'Darkness'. He started reading what little information there was on Darkness. "It...Uses the other four Devil Golems? It's the...ultimate Devil Golem?" He murmured. "Ice for the left arm...Infinity for the right. Earth for the left leg...and Fire for the right. Darkness is created from the other Devil Golems! It doesn't just use them; like Infinity did...it literally is them!" Toya gasped. "But...it's been dormant for two years. T-Two years?" He stood up. "Two years ago...t-that's when we defeated Infinity and the other Devil Golems. Could it be...? What I saw back then...it WAS really there...it was Darkness!" He realised suddenly. Toya took the book and ran. He HAD to find Atsuma and the others as fast as he could. 'Shadow...what do you play in this? Something must have happened...she could easily control...' He broke off before he finished his thought, knowing what the end would be. 'I have to find them both. Where are they?!' Toya stopped running, now outside the school. "Atsuma...he'd go with Shadow somewhere...bunking off class." He murmured, trying to figure out where the two boys were. "Shadow likes to go to the fountain...I'll start there. Atsuma would want to get Shadow to relax while they were bunking." He nodded, rushing out of the school. Makoto watched as Toya ran past.

"Was that...my Toya? What is he thinking?" He asked. "He was running out of the school... what's going on?" He sighed. Makoto stood there for a while, before he decided he had to go find out what Toya was doing. So, he ran after Toya.

* * *

"This is great." Shadow laughed as he walked with Atsuma. "It's a break from just using my brain. I can actually relax. I mean...since I don't live with parents or anything, and I just live at the school...it's a great break from it all." He explained. Atsuma nodded.

"I knew you'd like a break, Shadow. I mean, you've been working your socks off, and with what happened you deserve a break even more!" He smiled. He then sat down with Shadow, watching the city. "It looks so beautiful...especially with the sun setting." Atsuma glanced at his friend. Shadow looked at Atsuma, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, but it's always beautiful - In the morning, the evening or at night." He replied. "It's actually quite easy to sneak out to see it." He winked. Atsuma laughed, looking out over the city. Shadow smiled but stopped, suddenly feeling strange. He heard one heartbeat, his breathing becoming slower. He looked at the city, seeing it become tinged red. Shadow looked down at his hands, hearing another heartbeat. Atsuma looked at his friend, smiling until he realised something was wrong.

"Shadow...?" He asked. "Hey, what's wrong?" He watched as Shadow leaned on the railings in front of them, hearing his breathing becoming slower and heavier. "What's wrong Shadow? Are you ill?" Atsuma asked quietly. Shadow could only just hear Atsuma's voice, it being muffled and echoed. He slowly turned to look at his friend, the red tint continuing to cover his vision. He then watched as Atsuma's eyes grew wide, looking down at his stomach. Shadow quickly looked at his hand, which was holding his knife. He looked back at Atsuma, stepping back, letting the knife drop from his hand.

"Atsuma...! What did I...?" He dropped the knife, pulling Atsuma close. Shadow winced, his head pounding as he heard another heartbeat. He felt his vision becoming blurred as he stumbled back, away from Atsuma. He swayed as he heard someone shouting his name. Shadow fell on his knees, seeing Atsuma lying on the ground. "Atsu...ma...what did...I..." He whispered, before he collapsed.


	6. Chapter 5

Fanfiction writing is fun. Except from when you get writer's block, or when you have too many ideas and don't know how to write them down. I've been recently working on the second fanfiction that will probably be on here. Though, I'll write a few chapters just because if not I'll get behind. Like what happened with this one.

Disclaimer - I don't own Enchanted Arms, but I do own my OCs.

Note - "" (speech marks) is talking, '' (apostrophes) mean thinking.

* * *

Chapter 5

Toya continued to search until the sky became orange. He sighed, wondering where they could be. "Where would they go?" He asked, looking around. Toya then saw Makoto stop beside him, panting.

"T-Toya...what ARE you doing?" He asked, standing up beside his friend. Toya didn't reply, looking around. He was desperately trying to find Atsuma and Shadow before something bad happened. "Hey! Don't just ignore me!" Makoto watched Toya, noticing something was on his mind. "Anyway, why were you running?" He asked. Toya then noticed two figures on the bridge, gasping.

"They're there..." He murmured. He started walking to where he could get on the bridge when he noticed something was wrong. Toya saw Shadow leaning on the railing, with Atsuma trying to help him. He felt the world around the four of them slow down, seeing Shadow turn to Atsuma. "No..." He saw the knife in Shadow's hand. Toya started running, calling out to them. "Atsuma! Shadow!" He shouted, seeing Shadow stab Atsuma. He felt his heart stop. Makoto watched, putting his hands over his mouth.

"My god..." He whispered, watching the two on the bridge. He glanced at Toya, who was running towards them. Makoto just watched, frozen. He didn't know what to do.

"Shadow!" Toya cried as he got closer. He watched as Shadow fell on his knees. 'No...I couldn't...stop this...' He thought to himself, rushing to their sides as they both lay, unconscious. "I need to help them. But, Atsuma is hurt more. I can tend to Shadow later." Toya nodded, gently rolling Atsuma onto his back. Atsuma groaned as he rolled. Toya inspected the wound. "..." He gently picked Atsuma up. "...I'll have to take Atsuma to the hospital." He murmured, as he ran back towards Makoto. "Look after Shadow. He's on the bridge. Make sure he doesn't leave." Toya told him, before he ran to the hospital. Makoto nodded, rushing up to Shadow on the bridge. He sat beside Shadow, still feeling a bit shocked about what had happened. He quickly took the knife and tossed it away. Makoto sat beside Shadow, seeing the symbol on his arm glowing. He gently put his hand on the symbol, gasping. Makoto pulled his hand away, blinking.

"What was...that? I saw...some people. It was like...they were watching me. No. Not me...it was Shadow. Maybe...that was one of Shadow's memories that he had lost? He might have regained it..." He murmured quietly.

* * *

Toya sat outside of the room Atsuma was in, his head in his arms. He felt horrible. "How could I...let this happen?" He asked quietly. "I figured it out...I could have stopped this..." Toya felt his eyes becoming wet, tears running down his cheeks. "Shadow...I know what happened. She was controlling you. She knew your inner name." He explained quietly, like Shadow was sitting beside him. "I can't let the others fall into this trap. If I could just find mine...then I could oppose her." He mumbled. "Then...it would either stop her or slow her down while the others could find theirs, then we would stop her completely." Toya leaned against the wall, looking at the opposite wall. 'I just wish...I could figure it out.' He thought to himself. 'What is the key to the inner name? What is it?' He sighed.

"Your friend seems to be making a miraculous recovery." The doctor startled Toya out of his thoughts. "You can go in and see him now, if you'd like to." He added, before walking away. Toya nodded, standing up as he walked inside. He saw Atsuma, who was awake, and sat beside him.

"Hey. You look better." Toya smiled. Atsuma had one hand on his stomach, nodding. He gently sat up, wincing a little. There was a drip in his arm, but Atsuma didn't seem to care much about it.

"Thanks. Where's Shadow?" Atsuma asked. "I mean...I need to tell him that it wasn't his fault. He didn't do this." He explained. Toya listened carefully as Atsuma continued. "He didn't look right. His breathing was too slow and heavy. And...His eyes..." Atsuma shivered. "But it just wasn't Shadow! Not the one I know, anyway." He explained. Toya nodded.

"He's with Makoto. I had to get you here, Atsuma. I saw what happened...and..." He looked at his hands. "I could have stopped it. I know I could have. If I had just been faster..." He murmured. Toya felt Atsuma put his free hand on his shoulder, looking up at him. Atsuma smiled, shaking his head.

"No, Toya. Even if you did know, trying to change it might have made it worse." He explained. "But...I'm still curious. What do you mean, you knew?" He asked curiously. Toya explained what he had found in the book, showing him the page with Darkness on it. "I see...this is worrying." Atsuma nodded. "I mean...I thought we got rid of the Devil Golems two years ago." He sighed. He then winked. "Well, a hero's work is never done, right?"Atsuma asked. Toya laughed.

"And who says you're a hero? But, yes. We'll have to stop her." He nodded. "She's made of all the other four Devil Golems. So, I think you will have to absorb them one at a time." He explained. "As for Shadow...we need to find a way to find out his inner name, and everyone else's, so that we're not controlled." Toya added. Atsuma lay back on the bed, sighing.

"I think they're going to keep me for at least tonight, so you'll have to start without me. You're better at finding stuff anyway." He winked. Toya nodded, standing up.

"I'll come see you tomorrow. I'll bring Shadow too, if he's better." He explained, walking out of the room. He closed the door, sighing. "...So it begins." Toya murmured, walking down the hallway.

* * *

It took a month for Atsuma's wound to heal fully, and by that time Toya had found out almost nothing about inner names. Shadow was being watched by either Atsuma, Toya or Makoto at all times. Shadow was always blaming himself for hurting Atsuma, always feeling down or depressed. He was always being asked what was wrong, but he never replied. He was almost going back into the state of not talking to anyone. Toya made sure Shadow didn't stop talking completely, so that he knew Shadow was at least still a little ok – although, all Shadow ever talked about was how it was his fault.

"Look, I've told you time and time again Shadow. It WASN'T your fault!" Atsuma explained, sitting beside Shadow in the classroom. Shadow didn't reply, his hands resting on his notebook that was on the desk. "Come on. I know you wouldn't do that." Atsuma added.

"...How do you know?" Shadow mumbled. "I mean, when you first met me...I had no memories. I had nothing." He opened his notebook, looking through the pages. "I still hardly have any now." He sighed.

"I just believe in you, Shadow. Surely you realise that you weren't controlling yourself when you did that? Anyway, I'm not dead." Atsuma replied, placing a hand on Shadow's shoulder. Shadow just shrugged it off, looking at the notebook. Atsuma sighed, glancing over at Toya and Makoto. They just glanced away, not knowing how they could help. Toya looked at the book about the Devil Golems in front of him, thinking. 'Although Atsuma's fine now...it doesn't feel right to try anything.' He sighed, leaning on his hand. He watched Makoto staring at him lovingly, glancing away. Atsuma looked back at Shadow, feeling heartbroken.

A few days after, Shadow was walking down the hallway when he bumped into someone. "S-Sorry..." He knelt down to help pick up the books when he felt a sharp pain ripple through him. Shadow winced, his hand shaking. The person quickly gathered their books and rushed away, leaving Shadow kneeling on the floor in pain. Shadow held his head, not realising people were watching him as he passed.

"Hey weirdo, we heard you have this freaky mark that glows." One guy stood over Shadow. "Show it to us." He explained. Shadow looked up at the guy, only seeing red eyes. His face was covered by a hood, as were his 'friends'.

"I-I can't just m-make it appear..." He explained quietly. He cried out, as the guy shoved Shadow against a wall. "I mean it! I can't f-force it to appear!" Shadow insisted. The guy smirked.

"I think this one is hiding something, boys." He explained, as the other guys took out knives. Shadow's eyes grew wide, hearing the heartbeat. 'N-No...c-can't lose it!' He thought to himself, closing his eyes. "Aww, are you scared?" The guy holding him asked, throwing him onto the ground. Shadow curled up, shivering. He felt as the knives started cutting through his skin, crying out with each stab. 'W-Why me...?' He thought to himself, feeling scared for his life. 'Atsuma...is this how you felt? That one stab...d-did it feel worse than this?' Shadow felt someone pulling him up, opening his eyes a little. He saw the evil looks in the guys' eyes, and the smirks on their faces.

"Hey, knock it off!" Shadow heard a shout, as the guys turned and looked. He couldn't see who it was as the guy was holding him tightly.

"It's time to scram, boys." The leader ordered, as the three guys ran away. Shadow lay on the floor, groaning. He saw as Atsuma, Toya and Makoto leaned over him. He realised that the shout he had heard had been from Atsuma, his best friend. Shadow had detached himself from his friend so much that he had forgotten what he was like.

"I...I know now..." He whispered to Atsuma, gently taking Atsuma's hand in his own. Atsuma kept Shadow's hand close, shaking his head.

"Hush. You need to keep your strength. You're going to get through this." He murmured. He kept Shadow close, tears forming. Toya looked at Atsuma, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. Atsuma glanced at Toya, nodding. He gently picked Shadow up, seeing a pool of blood left on the ground beneath him. "We're going to get you to the Nurse, and quick." He whispered, running down the hallways, shouting at people to get out of the way. Behind him was a trail of blood, left by Shadow. Toya and Makoto watched Atsuma, sighing a little.

"You know...He really cares for Shadow. Like a brother." Makoto murmured. Toya nodded. He then looked in the direction the guys ran off. He wondered why they were hurting Shadow. 'He wouldn't have done anything...' Toya thought. 'Maybe I should just go and ask - the easy way, or the hard way.' He nodded, walking off. Makoto stood alone, shaking his head. "What do I do now?" He asked himself.

* * *

Atsuma refused to leave Shadow's side. He held Shadow's hand, keeping it close. 'Shadow... I think you realise now it wasn't your fault. I'm glad.' He smiled a little. 'But...why did those boys attack you? What happened before? I only saw them pulling you up.' Atsuma sighed. He looked at Shadow's arm, seeing the symbol faintly glowing. He stroked Shadow's hand gently. 'Was it...the symbol? Is that it?' Atsuma asked himself. 'Well, it'll be ok. Shadow's going to live, so it doesn't really matter. I do want to punish them, but I'd need to find them first.' He glanced at the door, seeing Makoto in the doorway.

"Hey, Toya wants to see you." Makoto explained. "He said he wouldn't take 'No' or 'But...' for an answer. I'll keep an eye on Shadow while you talk to him." He sat the opposite side of the bed to Atsuma. "Now go. Even though Toya is patience, he wants to speak to you as soon as possible." He added. Atsuma stood up, watching Shadow for a moment before he walked out. He closed the door as he left, glancing around the hallway. Toya was sitting on a bench, looking at an ancient-looking book. He looked up when he heard the door, standing up when he saw Atsuma.

"Is he recovering?" Toya asked. Atsuma nodded. "I'm glad. I do worry about things too, you know." Toya smiled. "Anyway, I need to talk to you." He explained. "It seems a rumour is getting out around school. It wasn't only Makoto and I who saw what happened a month ago." He said quietly. Atsuma blinked, clenching his hand into a fist. "The rumour only started a few days ago, but it's a nasty one." Toya added. Atsuma glanced at the door.

"Poor Shadow... Toya, do I what to know what the rumour is?" He asked, looking back at his friend. Toya glanced away. "Is it to do with his mark?" Atsuma asked, and when Toya nodded, he became angry. "Tch...Who started it?!" He growled.

"Calm down Atsuma! Hurting people won't help Shadow! You know that he wouldn't like that either!" Toya explained. Atsuma sighed, sitting down. "Look, I don't know who started it, but the rumour is that the symbol gives him power...which isn't exactly a rumour. But, it's making people want to make him use it for their gains." Toya sat down beside Atsuma. "We tried keeping it as long as we could, Atsuma. But...people know about it now. How are we going to keep him safe all of the time?" He asked quietly. Atsuma didn't reply at first, trying to let all of the information sink in. 'People know now...but it's just a rumour.' He thought.

"Toya, people think it's just a rumour. How will they know it's true? I mean, it's not like they know what we know." Atsuma explained. "I know people will be trying to get it to show... but they'll give up when they see it doesn't work." He looked into Toya's eyes. "Look, why don't we see how it goes? One of us can be with him, or near him, and we can see what people do." He suggested. Toya thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"It's the best 'solution' we've got." He replied. "We might as well try it out. If it doesn't work...we'll need to think of something else." He added. Atsuma looked back down at his hands, feeling worried. 'Shadow, we'll help you through this.' He thought to himself. "I found all this out from the ones who hurt Shadow, Atsuma. It seems nobody wants to stand up to us." Toya explained. Atsuma glanced at Toya, smiling a little.

"I'm not surprised. I mean, everyone knows about what we did. Some watch with awe, some with jealousy, and other with hate. I don't really care how people feel, honestly. The legacy was fun at first but...it's old now." He replied. "But...what I do care about is if anyone hurts my friends. You're the closest thing I have, so if somebody hurts any of you...I get mad." He looked at the door. "Especially Shadow. He's just like me, with no family. So, I feel like I have to make sure he'll be ok." Atsuma explained. He looked at the book. "In the month we've been searching...nothing?" He asked, changing the subject. Toya glanced away, closing his eyes. Atsuma sighed, looking back at the door. "...I guess we'll just have to wait and see when it comes to us." He murmured.

* * *

Shadow started showing up less and less at school, and even when it wasn't school he wasn't anywhere. He had gone, and nobody knew where. Even Atsuma, Toya and Makoto didn't have a clue, even though they searched almost every day.

"Why did he disappear? He should at least be here, because he LIVES here." Atsuma pointed out. He sighed. Toya saw the disappointment on Atsuma's face, glancing away.

"...Maybe we should focus on how we can destroy this new Devil Golem?" He suggested. "I mean, Shadow can take care of himself. He probably just needs a break from everything. If we focus more on this new Devil Golem then we could help Shadow in the process." He explained. At first, Atsuma was hurt. Did Toya no longer care for their friend? But, as he listened, Atsuma slowly nodded. He could see the sense in Toya's suggestion, as always. He felt like he was betraying his friendship with Shadow, but they could help him through finding out how to destroy this new threat. So, between the three of them, they decided to give Shadow time alone and to focus on trying to find out anything about this new Devil Golem – Darkness. They searched whenever they could, but every search didn't help much. That was until they found out about the Eternal Blade. A blade that was forged to keep Darkness in its slumber for eternity, but it was corrupted. Now it was known as the Nightmare Blade, which directly used Darkness' power, turning anything good into evil.

"Where is this blade now?" Atsuma asked as Toya was reading out the description. "I mean, if we can purify it, then we can use it to defeat Darkness!" He explained. Toya nodded, reading down further.

"I agree. It would help us." He murmured, trying to find anything about where the blade was now. "It says it was somewhere in London City, at one point." He glanced up at Atsuma. "So, it seems we'll be taking a visit to London City, huh?" Toya closed the book. Atsuma nodded, smiling.

"Sure does!" He replied. "Lucky we've got some time off. So, let's go!" He clenched his hand into a fist in excitement. Makoto was hesitant, but when Toya agreed, he decided he would go too. He couldn't leave Toya alone with Atsuma, who knows what would happen then? The three took a day for preparation and then set off for London City the day after.

During the journey, Atsuma was walking ahead, Toya was reading the book about the Eternal Blade, and Makoto was following beside Toya. "We're going back to London City! I wonder what they've done there. I mean, it was destroyed a little like Yokohama, right?" Atsuma glanced back at Toya and Makoto, but neither answered him. Toya was too busy reading and Makoto had learnt to block out Atsuma. "..." Atsuma shrugged as he kept walking. 'How will we even purify this blade? I suppose Karin might know the answer, seeing as she is the princess, or now queen.' Toya thought to himself. 'We need to stop Darkness, or what happened between Shadow and Atsuma will happen between the rest of us. We'll kill each other, or just be a puppet for Darkness. I won't let that happen, not again!' He nodded. He almost walked into Atsuma, as he had stopped.

"Something wrong, Atsuma?" Toya asked. Atsuma nodded forward, to where a man was standing. Makoto gasped, recognising the man.

"It's you! But...you died!" He said in shock. Leo smiled, moving his cloak away from his stomach, where there was a large scar. He shook his head, walking towards them.

"I ALMOST died." He replied. "Now..." Leo turned to Toya, taking out Toya's spear. "I believe this belongs to you, no?" He winked. Toya gently took his spear, confused.

"How did you...find it?" He asked. "Wait...that girl took it...you must have got it from her!" He explained. Leo nodded, smiling. Atsuma watched Leo, seeing something familiar in him. 'He reminds me of Shadow, just a little.' He thought, shaking his head. 'Shadow...I wish you were here.' He closed his eyes, looking at the ground. Leo noticed Atsuma, gently tipping his head back so he could look into Atsuma's eyes.

"Ah. I see. You held all of the other four Devil Golems once, didn't you?" He asked. Atsuma gasped, nodding. "It is easy to see, if you know what to look for. But...you are looking for the Eternal Blade...it will be a long journey." Leo continued. He then looked at the three of them. "This journey...it will not be like the last. It will take you to places further than just Kyoto, or London. Places you have never heard of." He explained. "You will meet those who are possessed, those who worship Darkness. Some..." Leo glanced away. "Some who are close, who you must kill." He explained. Atsuma clenched his hand into a fist.

"You mean Shadow, don't you?" He asked. Leo nodded, sighing. "Well, I'll never kill him!" Atsuma growled. "He's my best friend, how could I do that to him?" He asked.

"...Shadow...that is not his real name, but I won't ever tell what it is." Leo murmured. "I made a promise...to my best friend, my brother." He looked at Atsuma. "We were prepared to kill each other to stop her, but he doesn't remember a thing." He looked at the ground. The three watched Leo in shock.

"You're...Shadow's brother?" Atsuma asked quietly. Leo turned away, clenching his hand into a fist.

"Tch, I've said too much." He muttered, and started walking away, until Toya called out to him.

"You said you knew Darkness' inner name. What is it?" He asked. Leo stopped, glancing back at Toya. The look in his eye was dark, but not evil - dark, full of pain and suffering as well as anger. Leo then turned away and ran, soon disappearing. "Damn..." Toya sighed. "That guy, Leo...what's with him?" He asked. After that, the rest of the journey was in silence. Atsuma was thinking about how Leo was Shadow's brother, and how Shadow wasn't his real name. 'What's this promise...? Who is this her? Did he mean Darkness? It took the form of a girl...' He thought. Toya was wondering how much Leo knew. He knew Darkness' inner name, so why didn't he tell them? Surely he wanted to stop Darkness as much as they did. Why did he keep these secrets so close to his heart?

"Look, we're almost there." Makoto pointed ahead, where London City was visible in the distance. Atsuma glanced up, smiling. He didn't say anything but he started running. "Atsuma?" Makoto asked, sighing. Toya noticed Atsuma running, rolling his eyes. He then smiled, running after Atsuma. "T-Toya?" Makoto asked, sighing. He then ran after the two.


End file.
